Chinese anti-porn office targets video streamers whispering on microphones

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Chinese cyber authorities have cracked down on video streamers whispering on microphones.

Some video streamers that specialize in streaming, doing relaxation sounds or autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) videos are being targeted by China’s anti-pornography office for take-down. The office reasoned that some of the video streams could be called software porn, according to a report by Abacus via South China Morning Post.

ASMR streams would generally have streamers whispering on the microphone, eating food that make certain sounds and other similar actions to trigger the relaxation effect of ASMR.

ASMR in itself is not sexual, but the office said some streamers perform these sounds while wearing sexy or provocative clothing. This has troubled the ASMR community at large, which has long tried to shake off the stigma that associates ASMR to pornography. Some Chinese internet users refer to ASMR as “in-skull orgasm.”

One popular ASMR streamer under the handle Xuanzi Giant 2 Rabbit previously streamed while wearing a sexy costume of game character Mai Shiranui from “The King of Fighters” series. She started out whispering on the microphone while sitting normally on a chair, but would later strike a provocative pose on the bed. The original footage streamed on Chinese video sharing site Huya, and has since spread to other video platforms such as YouTube, according to the report.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9yGDgr0O9c

Owing to the action of the Chinese government, searching ASMR in some Chinese video streaming sites like Bilibili and Douyu gave zero results. However, navigating to direct links showed the content could still be accessed.

While China is cracking down on ASMR, its international community continues to grow. The Gentle Whispering ASMR channel on YouTube currently has 1.3 million subscribers.  Alfred Bayle /ra

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